Pakistan's bid for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 is hanging by a thread following a tight two-wicket defeat to England in the Super 8 stage at Pallekele on Tuesday.

England captain Harry Brook hit a superb century to lead his team to 166/8 in 19.1 overs, chasing 165. With this victory, England became the first team to advance to the semi-finals, while Pakistan's chances got increasingly slim.

Pakistan's path to the semi-finals is suddenly incredibly difficult. They must overcome Sri Lanka in their final Super 8 encounter and rely on other Group 2 results to qualify. If New Zealand wins their next match, Pakistan may need to increase their Net Run Rate (NRR) against co-host Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, after Pakistan lost to England despite leading for the majority of the game, fans abused captain Salman Ali Agha and even crossed the line to send abuses to his wife, Sabba Manzer, and his son.

In response, Salman’s wife, Sabba, shared a strong message on Instagram after receiving abusive comments from Pakistani fans.

“Sending me or my innocent son abuse is not going to win you the World Cup, Pakistani fans,” she wrote on Instagram.  Despite the tough situation, Agha tried to remain hopeful after the match.

“We just have to wait and see how the other results go. We will hope they go in our favor, and then we know we have to win against Sri Lanka. Cricket is a fun game; anything is possible. There is always hope, and as a team, we will always keep believing,” Agha said about the qualification scenario.

Salman Agha was made the T20I captain of Pakistan in 2024, taking over from Mohammad Rizwan. Before him, his teammates Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, and Shaheen Afridi had been captains as well.